M.I.D.A.S. Marketing Information Database Application System

The Marketing Information Database Application System (M.I.D.A.S.) is a specialized database application & related Java servlet whose primary function is to provide a means of data collection and reporting. M.I.D.A.S. was developed specifically for MacNeill Group, Inc. (MacNeill)–a Managing General Agency (MGA) founded in 1946 that serves as a wholesale insurance agent and represents over 5,000 independent insurance agents throughout the state of Florida. The main users of the database portion are the MacNeill marketing representatives whose primary task is to make regularly scheduled visits to their assigned insurance agents and collect "visit" information regarding the products offered by MacNeill. The main users of the Java server portion are the independent insurance agents contracted by MacNeill. The Java servlet allows authorized users to access various reports (see Figure 1), via the Internet, regarding their production of business through MacNeill.

(Figure 1. Example M.I.D.A.S. Reports)

The M.I.D.A.S. database is a Microsoft Access database maintained at the MacNeill home office in Sunrise, FL. Replicated copies of the database are provided to the various MacNeill marketing representatives for use on their laptops. As the marketing representatives make their rounds they will utilize their replicant copy of the M.I.D.A.S. database to record the details of their agent visits (see Figure 2). On a scheduled basis, the replicated copies of the database will be synchronized with the master database at the home office.

(Figure 2. Example M.I.D.A.S. Agency Visit Data Entry Screens)

The M.I.D.A.S. servlet is a Java based servlet that runs on a Web server at the MacNeill home office and may be accessed via any Java enabled Web browser. Once initialized, the servlet handles HTTP requests by first returning to the client-side user an HTML form page that prompts the user to "login" to M.I.D.A.S. (see Figure 3). The form page is then redirected back to the servlet, which establishes an active session with the user and attempts to verify the user against the M.I.D.A.S. database. If a user is verified, the servlet returns another HTML form page presenting the user with a menu of the various reports available to them via the M.I.D.A.S. database. Depending on the report selected, the servlet will utilize the JDBC-ODBC bridge to query the database and return another HTML Web page to the client-side user displaying the information requested (see Figure 1).